Christmas Spirit
by DamonElena2012
Summary: The gang spend Christmas at the boarding house. -A late Delena Christmas story I thought of a few days ago. R/R!
1. Chapter 1

As she finished putting her holly earrings on, Elena stepped back to examine herself in the mirror.

She wore a red dress that hugged her curves perfectly, stopping only just above her knees.

She kept telling herself that all of this- the smoky eye makeup, the slightly curled hair, the tight dress- wasn't for Damon's benefit. That it was just because Christmas was a special occasion… Right?

She couldn't do that to Stefan-

_Why the hell not? _A demanding voice inside her head asked.

_It's not like you're dating anymore, he left you to go off on a rampage with Klaus!_

She sighed and tried to focus on Stefan, his green eyes- they were green, right?

_Oh my goodness, I forgot my boyfriend's name! _She thought to herself, slapping her forehead.

She wasn't supposed to be thinking about Stefan on Christmas! She was supposed to be thinking about happier things like Damon and- NO! Not Damon, people in general… Friends in general!

She cleared her thoughts and rushed to her closet, picking out a pair of mesh leggings along with red ballet flats that had mini bells attached to them.

She slipped them both on quickly and grabbed her phone just as it vibrated with a message from Caroline.

_Hey, me, Tyler, Bon, Jer are here. Alaric and Damon are in the kitchen, where r u? _

Elena typed her reply and sent it.

_**I'm on my way.**_

The reminder that Damon was going to be there made her feel a rush of excitement. She couldn't help it; she really did want to see him.

_So? What are you wearing? _

Elena laughed at Caroline's not-so-subtleness, before replying.

_**You'll have to wait and see…**_

Elena closed the front door as she walked to her car, hopping in and buckling her seatbelt in.

_-_- I'm not amused. Oh well, I just know it'll make Damon's jaw drop._

Her eyes widened in amusement at Caroline's reply, it was like she was psychic!

She didn't bother replying as she started the car and took off towards the boarding house.

****Delena****

Elena walked to the front door of the boarding house, her nerves picking up now and her heart racing. She didn't know why she was so nervous, she saw all these people every day!

Okay, that was a lie; she did know why she was so nervous. She was nervous to see Damon's reaction. What if he didn't like the dress?

_Too late for that! _She thought to herself as she stood on the porch.

The door opened before she could knock and Elena, thinking it would be Damon, she was surprised to see Caroline standing there in a gold dress with bells at the bottom. It stopped just above her knees.

"Merry Christmas! " exclaimed Caroline, capturing Elena in a tight hug.

Elena grinned and replied, "You too, nice outfit. "

"I'm glad you like it! Damon told me I look like an elf. " replied Caroline, walking back inside with Elena behind her.

"You told me to tell you the truth! " a voice shouted from the kitchen.

Elena grinned at the sound of his voice, then stopped at Caroline's raised eyebrow.

_What?_ Elena mouthed to Caroline, making it clear to her that she didn't want Damon hearing them.

_Damon! _Caroline mouthed back to her.

Elena sighed and shook her head, ending the conversation then and there.

The sound of Tyler's voice calling her made Caroline speed away, leaving Elena alone in the hall.

She walked to the lounge room to find Alaric standing on a ladder with Bonnie standing at the bottom, holding it, while she gave him directions to hang what looked like mistletoe.

Jeremy was sitting down, playing some shooting game while Caroline was sitting on the back of the chair, watching him. She could hear Tyler and Damon laughing about something in the kitchen.

Before Bonnie could spot her, she made her way to the kitchen. She just wanted to see Damon, was that so bad?

She smiled at the sight of Tyler wearing a Santa hat and Damon stirring something in a pot on the stove.

Tyler shook his head and replied to something that she hadn't heard Damon say, "Then you're an idiot! "

Damon chuckled, "Oh I'm the idiot? You're the one wearing the Santa hat! "

She chuckled at Damon's remark, capturing the attention of both Tyler and Damon. She wished she had a camera. Damon's expression was priceless but it didn't last long after he hid his expression.

Tyler made a quick escape by hugging Elena and wishing her a merry Christmas, walking out of the room before anything else could happen.

Damon sat the towel on his shoulder, drawing Elena's attention to Damon's tight, green V-neck shirt that accentuated his toned chest oh-so-well.

"Wow… I'm not gonna sugar-coat it. You look amazing. " said Damon, leaning closer to her and lightly kissing her cheek.

She took a deep breath in and tried to control herself from moving slightly to the left to meet his lips.

"Merry Christmas, kitten. " said Damon, lingering closer to her longer than he should have.

She had to fight all her emotions to keep her eyes on his eyes instead of his lips.

Damon moved away from her to return to the saucepan on the stove, adding some herbs and stirring some more.

"NO! " came ALL the voices in the living room.

Elena frowned, questioningly at Damon who answered, "Jeremy just died on Dead Island. "

Elena laughed, sitting on the island in the middle of the kitchen.

Damon turned with a spoon full of whatever it was on the stove and gestured for her to taste it.

She was taken aback for a moment but soon opened her mouth to taste Damon's invention.

Her eyes widened at the taste, "Oh my- Damon, this is amazing! " she exclaimed, grinning.

"Thank you, here, have some more. " said Damon, picking up another spoonful and giving it to her.

She tasted it and closed her eyes, it really was amazing.

"Okay, can you come home with me and cook every night? " she joked and he smirked.

"You had me at 'can you come home with me'. " replied Damon, turning around and putting the stove on low.

He turned back to her and asked, "So, are you ready to celebrate Christmas? "

She smiled lightly at him, "I guess so. "

He gestured in front of him, "You first. "

She smiled and walked to the kitchen door before she felt him tap on her shoulder.

She turned and raised her eyebrow questioningly, "Yes? "

He took her hand in his and gently kissed it, "You really do look stunning. "

"Thank you, you look quite good yourself. " she replied, smiling shyly.

He smirked, "Of course I do. "


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks to those who reviewed! I hope you enjoy this chapter and leave a review!**_

She turned around, walking into the living room to find Jeremy and Caroline had switched places, with Tyler doing something on his phone and Alaric watching the teens play Dead Island from the other side of the couch.

"Elena! I didn't see you come in! " said a voice from behind her that she recognized as Bonnie's.

Elena turned around and took in the hug that Bonnie gave her along with a bright, 'Merry Christmas!'

"Hey, Bon. You look great! " exclaimed Elena.

Bonnie was wearing a pair of denim short shorts with a red top. Although it wasn't as dressy as her and Caroline, Bonnie made up for it by the fact that her earrings, rings and bracelets were all Christmas themed. Her hair was made up in to a tight bun with two short strips of hair framing her face. She wasn't wearing shoes though, probably because she was just

"So do you! I love your dress! " exclaimed Bonnie, grinning.

Elena thanked her while they held a conversation only best friends would have.

The sight of Caroline following Damon in to the kitchen caught her attention and as Jeremy called Bonnie over to him, Elena made her way to the kitchen door.

She didn't know why she was even trying this. They were both vampires, probably able to smell her from a mile away. She caught a bit of their conversation, but it was out of context so she had no idea what they meant. But she needed to know what they were saying…

"Oh come on, Damon, it's Christmas! Just for this occasion, can we please all come together to- " Damon interrupted her before she could continue.

"To what? Get drunk? Yeah, that's the spirit! " said Damon, sarcastically.

Caroline sighed and put on what Elena expected to be her puppy dog eyes.

"Okay those eyes are not gonna work on me. " said Damon, moving to the door but stopping the second he saw Elena there.

"Damon! Stop being stubborn. "

Damon sighed in frustration, "Fine, whatever! "

Caroline smiled, "Yay! " she said as she sped out the door, over to Tyler.

"What does Caroline want? " asked Elena, crossing her arms over her chest.

Damon sighed, "She wants to do some sort of drinking game with my alcohol. "

"Caroline and drinking games don't mix well… She always ends up bending every rule to make it completely inappropriate. " said Elena, looking behind her to find Caroline had already got three bottles and was trying to stop everyone from playing the video game.

"Sounds like fun. " Damon replied with a smirk as Alaric called his name.

"Damon, get in here! " exclaimed Alaric.

Damon sighed and walked out of the room, leaving Elena alone to do nothing but think.

_Why am I keeping my distance from Damon? Just because we've gotten closer over the years, doesn't mean they were together… Maybe it just meant they were good friends… With sexual tension you could cut with a knife! _Elena thought to herself, she wasn't getting so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even realised Caroline calling her into the living room.

"Yeah, Care? " Elena asked as she walked into the room.

"We're gonna play Never Have I Ever! " exclaimed Caroline, excitedly.

Elena sighed.

This was gonna be a long night.

And an hour later, Bonnie was halfway to lala-land while Elena was holding her liquor pretty well… sort of… Jeremy was taking people's scores since Elena would NOT let him play this.

"Never have I ever… been pushed into a lake… " Bonnie slurred out and everyone except Alaric drank.

Damon shared a glance with Elena, he smirked at her irritated expression. She obviously didn't find it as amusing as she did.

"You know what, guys? I'm gonna take a break from all the drinking. I would like to be sober tonight… " said Elena, not really in the mood to be drunk on Christmas.

"I'm gonna take a break too, need to check on the food. " said Damon, causing Caroline to groan.

"Oh come on, guys! " she exclaimed, crossing her arms. "There's like hardly any people left! "

"What are you talking about, there's four of us left! " Bonnie replied, shutting Caroline up before she went to full whine mode.

While Damon finished up in the kitchen, Elena pushed her shoes off next to the couch and sunk onto it, watching everyone play never have I ever.

Damon walked out of the kitchen, realising that Elena's back was turned. It was the perfect opportunity.

She screamed and he laughed. He had sped next to her whispered boo in her ear before she realised what happened.

She gave him a dirty look hit his arm, playfully, "Damon! What the hell? "

He laughed, "I'm sorry, I didn't have a choice! "

"You didn't have a choice? " Elena accused him.

He sighed, "Oh come on, Elena! Brighten up a bit! It's Christmas! "

Elena narrowed her eyes at him and stood up, wanting to leave the room.

But she was unable to.

Because Damon had sped in front of her before she could go anywhere.

"I'm sorry. " he simply stated, his soft expression making her want to melt.

He trailed a finger across her cheek, looking her straight in the eye.

She couldn't help it. She let her eyes wander down to his lips that were looking so soft right now.

"Seriously? " came Caroline's surprised voice, making both Elena and Damon jump out of their trance like state.

At first they both thought they'd been seen by Caroline but actually she was just surprised at Bonnie.

Elena looked back to find Damon wasn't standing there anymore, he was walking towards the… front door?

She quickly followed, confused about what was happening with him.

"Damon, what are you doing? " she asked as she caught up with him on the porch.

"Going for a walk. " he replied, putting his jacket on.

"Damon- " she didn't get to finish her sentence as he placed a finger on her lips.

"Look Elena, I need to get out of here of at least 10 minutes. I just… Never mind. Just go back inside. " he said, turning to walk away.

**I'll update if I get over seven reviews, so please click that button below!**


	3. Chapter 3

Elena grabbed his arm, turning him back around, "Do you really think I'm gonna go back inside now? Just tell me why you're leaving. "

"You want me to tell you why I'm leaving? Fine. But first I want you to tell me something. " said Damon, continuing as she gestured for him to go on. "Do you think I don't notice? "

Her eyes widened as she realised that he was talking about her staring at his lips.

"Damon, can we not talk about this now? " asked Elena, crossing her arms over her chest.

Damon rolled his eyes, "And if we don't talk about it now, when are we going to talk about? " he asked, accusingly.

Before she could reply, he continued, "We haven't even begun to talk about what happened the night you kissed me when I was bitten. Whenever I try to bring it up, you either avoid me or change the subject immediately. I'm getting sick and tired of just being your friend when I'm always thinking about you. Because you know what? I'm not afraid to say it to you anymore. I'm in love with you. " said Damon, watching as Elena tucked a strand of hair away behind her ear.

Elena was taken aback, "What am I supposed to say? What can I say to make everything better? The reason I came here dressed like this was for you. Because the whole time I was picking out this outfit, I was thinking, 'I hope Damon thinks this looks good.' So no, I don't see you as just a friend. I see you as so much more than that! And it scares me more than anything. "

Damon frowned, trying to register her words, "It scares you? " he asked, confusedly.

Elena slowly nodded, "Yeah. It does. Because whenever I think about you, my heart beats faster. And whenever I hear your voice, my heart skips a beat. It scares me how much I think about you. I- " she stopped talking as he walked closer to her, trailing his fingers along her cheek, his cold hands sending a wave of goose bumps through her body.

"Elena… If I kissed you right now, would you pull away? " Damon asked her, leaning down so his face was incredibly close to hers.

She could feel his cold breath on her lips, a shiver running down his spine. Her mind was a mess right now, her thoughts muddled as Damon wrapped an arm around her waist.

Elena let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in, "No. "

A small smile tugged at the corner of Damon's mouth as he leaned closer to her.

Their lips were incredibly close now, she felt like if she breathed, their lips would be touching.

She felt like everything was going in slow motion as he got impossibly close to her.

And at the last second left a small kiss on her cheek, "That's good to know. "

Elena was left there breathless as Damon walked back inside.

****DELENA****

After minutes of standing on the porch speechlees, Elena eventually opened the door and walked back inside to find everyone looking extremely comfy.

She looked at the clock to find it was 3 in the afternoon.

Caroline's head popped up from where it was leaning on Tyler's shoulder when Elena walked into the room.

She caught Elena's gaze, knowingly and nodded her head towards the couch Damon was sitting on with Jeremy.

Elena tilted her head to the side, asking Caroline a silent question of what she was suggesting.

The blonde vampire rolled her eyes and did it once more before returning to where she was leaning on Tyler's shoulder.

Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath, obviously Caroline had heard their little conversation on the porch. She walked over to the couch Damon was lounging on.

Damon's words replayed in her head as she got closer to him, he was in love with her.

Was it so bad that that made her feel safer than ever?

She grinned as she realised there was only a bit of space between Damon and the armrest.

Moving towards him, faster now, she sunk down into the space, the look that he gave her for that almost looked like a genuine smile.

Caroline put the DVD in for some sort Christmas movie that Elena wasn't paying attention to.

Why?

Well… Damon's arms may have snaked around her waist, holding her close to him as she closed her eyes.

Was there something she was supposed to be stopping about this? All those thoughts left her head as she rested her head on his chest.

_**Sorry for such a late update, I hope it wasn't too short but I have the next few chapters planned out. It'd be pretty cool to have over 10 reviews. So pretty please press that button below and leave a review. More reviews=Faster Updates!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Elena woke from her dreamless sleep to find Caroline looking at her with a smirk on her face from where she was sitting on the armchair with Tyler. Everyone else was engrossed with the movie apart from Caroline who was shaking her head, unbelievably.

It was then that Elena realised why she was so comfy. Her head was on Damon's chest as he sat back, comfortably. His arms were tightly wrapped around her and as she looked to his face, he caught her gaze.

The second they met each other's eyes, she felt a rush of warmth. Like she could stay like this for as long as she existed; Damon holding her to him and her completely surrendering to him.

Yes, it was official.

She was in love with Damon.

"Damon? " she whispered to him and he looked into her eyes.

"Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a second? " she asked him.

He shrugged, standing up, pushing her up as well as they walked to the kitchen, everyone else focused on the movie.

"What is it, Elena? Want something? " he teased, raising an eyebrow.

She crossed her arms, "You know what, Damon? Yes. I do want something. I have never wanted to kiss someone more than right now and I don't usually do this but I'm going to because it's you and me and- " Damon cut her off by putting a finger to her lips.

"I'm not gonna kiss you, Elena. You're making the move. I'm leaving it up to you. "

She took a deep breath, this moment was more important than many of the other things that she would encounter in her life. If she took the opportunity to kiss him right now, her whole life would change, her life would be completely different. They'd do couple-y things together-maybe not the classic dinner and a movie- but they'd spend more time together.

But all of that stopped mattering the second his eyes flashed with a look of… Love.

She leaned in and found there really was heaven on earth. Right next to him.

_**Okay, I know, it's a really short chapter but this is the place I wanted to end it and hopefully the fact that I'm writing a sequel makes up for the huge gap in between this chapter and the last one. Just keep checking for alerts of my new story. 3**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_

_**-Genn.**_


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